1. Field of the Invention
A doll with embracing arm movement, which doll also preferably is an audible sound emitting doll.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dolls which provide discretionary movement of the limbs and which emit audible sounds provide a great deal of enjoyment for children, because of the simulation of a real-life baby or infant, person or character of fiction to which the child can readily relate.
In British Pat. No. 871,728, a pair of arms are pivotally interconnected with a sounding mechanism between them, so that when they are squeezed together, the sounding mechanism is actuated. The two arms are also connected to levers, which are swung forwardly upon squeezing of the arms. The levers are contained within the arms of a soft bodied doll so that upon squeezing the doll from front to back, the arms of the doll are moved forwardly, turning about horizontal axes. Since the arms are moved about horizontal axes rather than about vertical axes, no clasping or embracing movement of the doll arms results.
Canadian Pat. No. 642,120 also has a sounder and here, too, the arms are caused to turn about horizontal axes as a sound is made.
A clasping motion is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,125,828 and 3,928,933. Although these patents show a motion of the arms about vertical axes at the shoulder, the type of structure employed for this purpose is clearly different from that of the present invention, as will appear infra. U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,665 illustrates another arrangement where a sounder is combined with a different motion, in this case being the head. French Pat. No. 1,159,316 is similar to the last-mentioned U.S. Patent in that it, too, illustrates the use of a sounder in conjunction with a head part, namely the lips. Another pertinent reference is U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,008.
A simple form of toy which emits an audible sound is one in which a sound is emitted when the toy is squeezed, in which case air is forced through means such as a whistle mounted in the body of the toy. Prior art relating to such pneumatic toys includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,616,217; 2,712,201; 2,745,214; 2,819,558; 2,928,208; and 3,075,317; British Pat. No. 814,021; and French Pat. Nos. 1,031,489; 1,038,887 and 1,171,083.
Other toys rely on the winding of a spring-motor, e.g., by the turning of a key or by the pulling of a string, cord or wire by the child, to wind up and/or actuate the sound-producing unit which is usually a toy phonograph within the body of the toy. Prior art of this nature includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,165,320; 3,261,124; 3,282,588; 3,298,130; 3,315,406; 3,600,848; 3,636,654; 3,636,655 and 3,859,749; and French Pat. No. 1,104,910.
More sophisticated devices have been recently developed in which an electrically operated unit is installed in the toy to emit a sound. Usually the unit is battery-operated and the sound is emitted by throwing a switch. Prior art relative to such a unit includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,467,393 and 3,589,735 and Japanese Pat. No. 793,915.